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The Google of China is now letting the public take rides in its self-driving cars

Keep an eye on Baidu because the "Google of China" is making big
moves in the self-driving car space.

Baidu is letting members of the public take a ride in its
electric, self-driving car fleet in Wuzhen, China as of Tuesday,
the company wrote in an email Thursday. Around 200 people have
participated in the trial so far.

But the route the cars are driving on is short at just 3.16 kilometers, or roughly 2 miles.

The cars are sticking to a speed of 60 kilometers per hour, or 37 mph, and are completing feats like switching lanes and recognizing traffic lights.

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Baidu

A driver is sitting in the front seat for safety reasons, but unlike the Uber trial, Baidu said the driver does not need to keep his hands on the wheel.

That allows the safety driver to perform tasks like, say, eating an apple...

A BMW 3-series modified with Baidu's driverless tech completed an 18.6-mile route last December, where it was able to change lanes, perform u-turns, and merge on and off highways.

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Baidu

Baidu is also testing its self-driving cars in the US and has employees working on the project in its office in Sunnyvale, California.

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Baidu

Baidu is planning to produce a limited number of autonomous vehicles for a public, shared shuttle service in China in 2018. The company said it will mass produce the self-driving cars beginning in 2021.